Do I have too much screen time?

Collaborative Post

I was posed the question by Vizulize eye care, do you think you have too much screen time? I hadn’t really thought about this before, but it made me think! My children would say – yes. Every quiet minute I am using my phone to capture photos, or staying in touch with texts. And thinking about it, maybe I could use my phone less?

Here’s the thing, with email, social media and text messages, keeping in touch has never been easier. Information is easy to get on the go, and there’s a temptation to stand and read the news or even play a game on my phone while standing waiting for a bus – or to collect the children from an after school club.

Then there’s another dimension to this, being able to use your phone for keeping in touch with work. Yes, how many people send work related emails from their mobile phone? More than even I’m imagining no doubt! I know that much of my screen time is spent looking at Instagram – I can lose an hour scrolling through pictures of peoples homes or fashion posts. Yes, I really do love Instagram!

I try to limit my screen time, but if I don’t, I find myself with tired eyes. Vizulize recommends practising screen mindfulness:

Attending sight tests, taking steps to reduce blue light and minimising device usage before bed are all effective ways to prioritise your eye health without sacrificing your lifestyle – just make sure you let your optician know if you notice any changes.

I have recently had my eyes tested and I’ve ordered new glasses. I’m trying to make sure I limit my phone time over the summer holidays, that means turning off alerts from my emails and apps! And making sure I make time to relax my eyes!